Google launches Android Pay in the UK

Paym platform for sending and receiving money by mobile number goes live

Paym, a new mobile payment platform that lets you send money to a mate for your share of Friday's curry with only their phone number to hand, is now live in the UK. To use Paym, you'll first need to associate your mobile number with your UK bank account either online or through your bank's mobile app. Once that's done, you can send or receive money (up to £250) from anyone that's also signed up to Paym using nothing but mobile numbers. The process may sound familiar, as Barclay's Pingit app has been capable of the same thing, regardless of which bank you're allied with, since it launched in 2012. The only real difference with Paym is that it's integrated into the systems and apps of other banks, making it a bit more visible, and convenient.

Most well-known banks and building societies support Paym at launch, with the only notable exceptions being the Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest, which are expected to join up sometime this year, and Nationwide, which'll wait until early 2015 to adopt Paym. Until then, though, anyone with unsupported accounts can still use Pingit, so no excuses as to why you can't contribute towards the cab fare.